McGilligan, Patrick

Tuesday, 5 July 1932

Dáil Éireann Debate
Vol. 43 No. 1

Page of 29

Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Ottawa Conference.

asked the Minister for External Affairs if he will state what exchanges of information or what preliminary discussions in preparation for the Ottawa Conference have taken place with either the Austral...

asked the Minister for External Affairs if he will indicate (1) what preparations have been made for the Ottawa Conference by the establishment of special committees in the Departments of State mainly...

Would the President state who compose this Committee of Ministers and Committee of Civil Servants?

How long has this Committee been sitting?

It is not proposed to have any arrangements made with any of the Governments whom it is expected the Saorstát delegation will meet at the Conference?

Would the President read the latter part of his reply?

There has not been any discussion with home producers as regards the principles that would underlie these agreements?

I would rather that the President had been more precise than he has been merely in saying that no doubt there had been discussions. Have there been consultations between the home producers and the Mi...

But there have been no detailed discussions?

Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Special Mission to America.

What is it that the President intends to explain afterwards to the House?

We will simply have presented to us a statement of the decisions come to without knowing the reasons underlying these decisions?

What has the mission cost?

What was the estimated expenditure—the President has just told us that the actual cost was only half the estimate?

Might I point out that a specific question has been asked —as to the total cost to the State of this journey—and that question can be answered right away.

asked the Minister for Industry and Commerce if he will state what trade treaties or other trade arrangements (whether by way of modus vivendi, exchange of notes, etc.) concluded under the auspices of...

The Minister has in mind in making that reply the provisions of the German Trade Treaty to which I have already called attention?

The German Trade Treaty is in the main founded upon most-favoured-nation treatment. But under the Treaty we guarantee national treatment to the acquisition of certain property by inheritance and to a...

The provision I have alluded to in the German Trade Treaty would, I should imagine, be one of the first to fall for consideration. Is the Minister's reply founded upon that consideration?

The trade treaty with Germany has been considered and it does not conflict with the Control of Manufactures Bill in its present form?

Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Limerick Flour Mills.

Has the Minister considered that the Limerick Harbour Scheme may have to be counted another casualty?

asked the Minister for Agriculture if he will indicate the foreign countries in which an endeavour to open up new markets for Irish agricultural produce is being made by our diplomatic or consular rep...

Without asking for details of the arrangements would the Minister mention the countries with which these agreements are hoped for?

Can I have an answer to my question?

As special efforts appear to be made in regard to France, as indicated in the Minister's reply, pointing to the appointment of a special representative there, it is with France that we are opening up ...

Yes, but special attention was called to France by the special appointment of a trade representative at Paris.

But is France not the country with which we are trying to get another market for our agricultural produce?

Late Sitting.

I notice that the Minister faltered over one of the phrases he used. He said that the Government was determined to the end to maintain its reasonableness. He was about to say “reason,” but better jud...

None. You cannot preserve an unexistent quality. The Minister also talked about the inexperience of the Opposition. When the Minister gets, if he does get, any lengthy experience of Government, he ...

The talk about business and the preparation for business comes badly from a Government which has introduced the system of sleeping over its work. Until the present Government made its appearance, th...

There is an ancient joke about the man who appeared at the office one day and explained his absence by saying that he overslept himself at home, and his employer said: “Good God! Do you sleep there to...

I object to being kept out of my bed which I keep at home because the Minister for Industry and Commerce has a bed on the premises. That is one of the reasons but I object for a much more sensible re...

Although they may not commend themselves as reasons to the Minister for Defence who has made some sour remark appropriate to them. Some of these people are going to Ottawa. I asked to-day a few quest...

I do not intend to make any very detailed speech on that point but certain details are appropriate. We are told that the reasons for this late sitting to-night are that the Minister for Industry and C...

But, surely, there were reasons given for that.

If I might be allowed to take up the thread of the speech I was making—the Minister said that he must get through, before he goes to Ottawa, the Shannon Bill, the Committee Stage of the Control of Man...

But the Minister for Agriculture is also going to Ottawa and we will see what his business is there, after the Minister for Industry and Commerce——

I am not concerned with what the Minister for Industry and Commerce thinks more appropriate. I do not align my conduct at all by his judgment. I was speaking quite relevantly on the motion before us, ...

I have not yet been allowed to go beyond a few preliminary observations with regard to Ottawa, owing to constant interruptions. I want to remark on the statement that you, sir, were good enough to mak...

I am not criticising the Chair. It was giving the reason why this motion had to be passed and why this sitting had to take place. There was important business. The Minister, naturally, puts himself ...

I protest against any observation that I am deliberately wasting the time of the House. The Minister has been engaged in taking notes on the points I made.

Taking them down to see if there was anything irrelevant in them. Of course, the mind of the Minister does not run to irrelevancies. We are discussing a motion to sit late in order to conclude the di...

I see. If that point is relevant it can be easily answered by a mere repetition of the statement made by certain of the wise heads we see before us, that Britain could not do any such thing, because ...

That is the argument to be used.

I have not advised anything.

I asked a question which aroused Deputy Allen's ire. On the Fifth Stage of the Bill dealing with butter I asked whether it was possible to hold the butter so that we could command famine prices, seei...

I did not hear the threat and, coming from Deputy Corry, if he was the Deputy, the enunciation —because he scarcely ever speaks—is one I do not pay any attention to.

The Ottawa Conference falls for consideration on this matter, and we feel that it must be discussed and that it is relevant to this discussion. Clearly our whole finance returns from certain taxation...

Is it to be counted as obstruction when the Minister says, on an amendment moved to his Finance Bill, that he cannot accept an amendment, and gives as his only reason that he could not afford to do s...

The point has been put to me that this motion is required because, at an earlier stage, there was obstruction. The only example of obstruction given was that I had made —I think I was the person refe...

It was not made six times, but it will be if the Finance Bill goes on much longer. I referred to that advertisement three times in the course of the debate. I can understand the reluctance of people...

The Deputy is always in the condition of the morning after. It is not necessary to take him out of normality to arrive there. Surely, some responsible member of the Party opposite could give us an i...

Finance Bill, 1932—Committee (Resumed.)

When we were dealing with this on Friday I was speaking on amendment 46: “To delete sub-section (4).” I want to press for this amendment. There is an amendment down later which changes the form in ...

I am not disposed to agree at all with what the Minister says as to the arguments I advanced. The Minister told us that we could be quite certain that no licence will be given unless evidence was prod...

That is to say it will be retrospective completely?

To my mind, this is an objectionable amendment, because it clouds the viciousness of what was previously in the section, and which still remains there, notwithstanding the clouding effect of this amen...

rose.

The Minister has put himself in the position that he has lost his temper and a bad-tempered man is never seriously able to debate anything.

I am O.K. with everything so far as Deputy Corry is concerned, and that is one of the most odious comparisons I have ever suffered myself to make about myself. We have here the amendment which has not...

There have been many questions put to the Minister and all that has happened is that he has tried to be insulting to members of the House. He has tried, but he has not been successful.

Or else the Minister might prefer to be like the vest pocket Minister for Finance he has beside him. If he were, he would find that he is as weak in insults as that Minister was on finance last Friday...

I am discussing the insults the Minister for Industry and Commerce tries to hurl at the House. Then the Minister for Finance intervenes. Deputy Dillon asked a question and Deputy MacEoin asked a quest...

The insinuation is that Deputy Dillon, for instance, has not put a serious question.

Will the conditions be entirely under the control of the Revenue Commissioners?

I have been very much intrigued by this statement about the firm somewhere in North Dublin who are now employing 150 hands where formerly 20 were employed. I should like to know what is the range of p...

Well, the Minister's explanation or modification of his statement indicates that the amount of employment anticipated will not be given by it. Whatever employment will be given by packing will come o...

I cannot say the same for the Minister. I wish I could.

I am sorry you will not allow the minor poet to talk on beauty. It would be an interesting discussion, even at 6 o'clock in the morning. I do suggest that whatever employment there is going to be gi...

Is this not going to be considered at all?

Oh, no.

The Minister has made the usual case that we expect from him. There is an enormous canning industry in the Free State at the moment.

That is the atmosphere in which we are asked to consider these matters. We are going to get an export business. This is an amendment to exclude vegetables, meat extracts and various types of soup cu...

It may be nonsense. I am not accepting it as gospel any more than I am accepting as gospel the stuff put up to the Minister and which he retailed here. They are both equally biassed, but I would like...

Not subject to tax?

Oxo is not subject to tax.

Yes, if all that comes off before 12th November, but we are entitled to point out that there is a 200 per cent. tax upon each cube. It has been taxed to that extent, and it took a considerable time t...

The Minister has accepted, therefore, the same situation as the amendment would bring about in everything except in vegetables.

The Minister has made up his mind to grant licences with regard to Bovril and Oxo.

Therefore, it is the same as if the amendment were accepted.

What difference would it make to be told that in the beginning? The Minister did not mention soup cubes until just this moment.

As to the variety of vegetables that are being canned, would the Minister let us have an indication of the actual employment given in canning vegetables since this tax was put on?

Why?

Will the Minister tell us where the establishments are?

The information we have got from the Minister is that one firm is packing peas.

The Minister is anxious to get through his business by to-morrow morning, but he does not come here prepared with the information on questions that fairly arise when an amendment is proposed to includ...

That is a different argument. I am dealing with the argument that there was a canning industry here, and the only argument put up by the Minister was that a canning industry had already been establis...

Surely not perhaps or presumably. It should be certainly. Under the provisions of the sub-sections if they satisfy two Ministers that they intend bona fide to establish facilities for packing why sho...

There is something else to be interposed between proving to the satisfaction of the Ministers that they are going to establish certain facilities and the granting of the licence. We were not told tha...

It is an entirely new situation and we will have to discuss it when we come to the section. Up to date the situation is improved only to the extent of one firm and we did not get an indication of the...

The tax involved in this section is probably one of the three or four about which there is most storm made, not because of the revenue likely to be taken from people in connection with it but the ineq...

Sugar. How far this absurdity is removed I cannot say. It will still fall for consideration whether or not ordinary cubes of sugar wrapped in one piece of paper are still subject to the twopenny tax....

If we are to come to a discussion on complexions I think the Minister has been rather unfortunate in setting himself forth as a standard of physical beauty to be looked up to in this House. I have pr...

Yes, I am afraid I did, even on the package tax, but I was only alluding to his mental capacity in that regard. There are other items however which show the absurd things which this will lead to. De...

There are three points in this series of amendments to be discussed and the three require different arguments. Firstly, there is this matter to which Deputy Anthony referred—the inclusion of “any bal...

Again, approaching the consideration of these games on the value of the healthy exercise they afford, that is a thing that can be urged in favour of these other games as much as in favour of Gaelic fo...

We have professional politicians and people sometimes get a good deal of amusement from them. There was no objection on the part of Deputy Davin to become a professional politician. There are seven ...